A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City Of Silvis Finance Department on October 25, 2024. The request was made by us at Rock Island Today, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
The records requested under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, include data on sales tax collected from retailers starting from January 1, 2024 until the present date. We have specifically asked for this information in an electronic format for ease of analysis and reporting.
The detailed fields requested include monthly comparisons of actual sales tax collected versus projected amounts. We also asked for the number of active retail locations paying sales tax each month. Furthermore, we requested the names of each retailer and their gross retail sales reported for each month.
As a media organization, we are involved in gathering and reporting news to the public. Access to these public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given our role in disseminating information, we believe we are eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional.
We await a response from the City Of Silvis Finance Department regarding our request and will keep our readers updated on any developments.